Octave Meynier
Encyclopedia
Octave Meynier was a French
military officer, born on February 22, 1874 at Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
in France
and died on May 31, 1961 at Algiers
. He is remembered as one of two officers who took control of the Voulet-Chanoine Mission
, which mutinied and rampaged through West Africa in 1899. He fought in the First World War and later launched a number of cross Saharan
motorised expeditions. He was the son of Marine officer and French Overseas Minister François Meynier, and father to author and geographer André Meynier.
François Meynier, the NCO
Octave Meynier, on leaving the military academy
of Saint-Cyr
in 1895, was assigned to French Sudan
.
's adjutant in Klobb's mission to reach the Voulet-Chanoine Mission
, and replace the expedition's commanders, Paul Voulet and Julien Chanoine, accused of serious misdemanours. Voulet refused to cede the command and on July 14 killed Klobb and wounded Meynier. Only a few days later a mutiny among the troop brought to Voulet and Chanoine's death, and Meynier became mith Paul Joalland
commander of the expedition, completing its main goal, the union of French West Africann possessions. Meynier was later to write of the Voulet affair in A la recherche de Voulet.
In 1913 Meynier was made military commander of the territory of the oasis
of Ouargla
, and in 1914 projected to modernize Africa
through the construction of road
s.
the command of the 1st Algerian tirailleur
s Regiment, and was wounded on April 5, 1918 by a shell
that took away his left arm.
, Maurice Viollette
; from 1926 to 1934 he kept the position of Director of the Territories (Sahara
n Algeria), and was given the opportunity to realize the web of routes covering the Sahara he had first thought of in 1914.
-Niger
car rally
, using the roads he had just built.
He left the army in 1935, with the rank
of Brigadier General
.
Meynier, who saw in rallying "an immediate way to put in contact the Mediterranean and African peoples, and make easier the relations among them", organized in 1950 the first Trans-African car rally, the Mediterranean-Cape Town
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
military officer, born on February 22, 1874 at Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Limousin region in west-central France.Its name refers to Saint Yrieix .Inhabitants are known as Arédiens.-References:*...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and died on May 31, 1961 at Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. He is remembered as one of two officers who took control of the Voulet-Chanoine Mission
Voulet-Chanoine Mission
The Voulet–Chanoine Mission or Central African Mission was a French military expedition sent out from Senegal in 1898 to conquer the Chad Basin and unify all French territories in West Africa...
, which mutinied and rampaged through West Africa in 1899. He fought in the First World War and later launched a number of cross Saharan
Saharan
The term Saharan is used in the English language to denote someone or something from the Sahara desert, including:* Sahrawi , referring to the people of the Western Sahara* Saharan languages, a subgroup of the Nilo-Saharan languages...
motorised expeditions. He was the son of Marine officer and French Overseas Minister François Meynier, and father to author and geographer André Meynier.
Early life and career
Son of the Lieutenant-ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
François Meynier, the NCO
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
Octave Meynier, on leaving the military academy
Military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...
of Saint-Cyr
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...
in 1895, was assigned to French Sudan
French Sudan
French Sudan was a colony in French West Africa that had two separate periods of existence, first from 1890 to 1899, then from 1920 to 1960, when the territory became the independent nation of Mali.-Colonial establishment:...
.
French Sudan
Four years later, in 1899, he was Lt.-Col. KlobbJean-François Klobb
Jean-François Arsène Klobb was a French colonial officer.Born on June 29, 1857 in Ribeauvillé in the department of Haut-Rhin in Alsace, he was sent as an officer to French Sudan...
's adjutant in Klobb's mission to reach the Voulet-Chanoine Mission
Voulet-Chanoine Mission
The Voulet–Chanoine Mission or Central African Mission was a French military expedition sent out from Senegal in 1898 to conquer the Chad Basin and unify all French territories in West Africa...
, and replace the expedition's commanders, Paul Voulet and Julien Chanoine, accused of serious misdemanours. Voulet refused to cede the command and on July 14 killed Klobb and wounded Meynier. Only a few days later a mutiny among the troop brought to Voulet and Chanoine's death, and Meynier became mith Paul Joalland
Paul Joalland
Paul-Jules Joalland is a French officer, known mainly for completing the Voulet-Chanoine Mission.He was one of the six officers of the latter expedition, and was an artillery expert with the rank of lieutenant...
commander of the expedition, completing its main goal, the union of French West Africann possessions. Meynier was later to write of the Voulet affair in A la recherche de Voulet.
In 1913 Meynier was made military commander of the territory of the oasis
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
of Ouargla
Ouargla
Ouargla is the capital city of Ouargla province, in the Sahara Desert, in southern Algeria. It has a flourishing oil industry, and hosts one of Algeria's universities. The city had a population of 129,402 in 1998 ....
, and in 1914 projected to modernize Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
through the construction of road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
s.
World War I
He assumed during the battle of VerdunBattle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...
the command of the 1st Algerian tirailleur
Tirailleur
Tirailleur literally means a shooting skirmisher in French from tir—shot. The term dates back to the Napoleonic period where it was used to designate light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns...
s Regiment, and was wounded on April 5, 1918 by a shell
Shell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
that took away his left arm.
Algeria
After the war he returned to Africa as head of the military staff of the governor-general of AlgeriaAlgeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Maurice Viollette
Maurice Viollette
Maurice Viollette was a French statesman.He was chief-of-staff for Alexandre Millerand in the Waldeck-Rousseau government in 1898, and was elected as a député for Eure-et-Loir in 1902 and as mayor of Dreux from 1908–1959.He acted as Transport and Supply Minister in 1917, Governor General of...
; from 1926 to 1934 he kept the position of Director of the Territories (Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
n Algeria), and was given the opportunity to realize the web of routes covering the Sahara he had first thought of in 1914.
African auto rallies
In 1930 he organized the MediterraneanMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
-Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
car rally
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
, using the roads he had just built.
He left the army in 1935, with the rank
Military rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
of Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
.
Meynier, who saw in rallying "an immediate way to put in contact the Mediterranean and African peoples, and make easier the relations among them", organized in 1950 the first Trans-African car rally, the Mediterranean-Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
.